Information processing device, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

There is provided an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program that can suppress hindrance to viewing/listening to content. A control unit controls output of a tactile stimulus in a case where notification information is received during output of content including sound. Further, the control unit performs a process of controlling the tactile stimulus in response to the content or a process of controlling the content in response to the tactile stimulus. The present technology can be applied to, for example, a mobile device such as a smartphone and the like capable of reproducing content including sound.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present technology relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing method, and a program, and more particularly toan information processing device, an information processing method, anda program that can suppress hindrance to viewing/listening to audiocontent.

BACKGROUND ART

An electronic device having all of an audio output function ofoutputting sound, a vibration output function of outputting vibration,and an information communication function of performing communicationfor exchanging information includes, for example, a smartphone and thelike. Further, an electronic device group capable of linking an audiooutput function, a vibration output function, and an informationcommunication function in real time includes, for example, a combinationof a smartphone and a smart watch interlocking with the smartphone andthe like. The above-mentioned electronic device and electronic devicegroup are also collectively referred to as an electronic device system.

According to an electronic device system equipped with an audio outputfunction, a vibration output function, and an information communicationfunction, when a user enjoys audio content including music and othersounds by the audio output function, notification of a message receivedby the information communication function can be reported to the user byoutput of alarm sound by the audio output function or output ofvibration by the vibration output function.

In the electronic device system, in addition to the message,notification information for notifying a user of various contentsincluding highly urgent information such as an incoming call, a suddenchange in weather, and the like and less urgent information such as abattery residual quantity, campaign information of a store that a userusually uses, and the like is received (acquired).

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a mobile communication terminaldevice that sets report sound from a speaker and vibration of a vibratoraccording to urgency of notification information.

CITATION LIST

Patent Document

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.    2009-065389

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

By the way, in an electronic device system, if notification ofnotification information (a fact that notification of notificationinformation has been provided) is reported by alarm sound when a userviews/listens to audio content, the user hindered from viewing/listeningto the audio content. For example, in a case where the audio content ismusic (a music piece), quality of user's music experience is impaired.

The present technology has been made in view of such a situation, andmakes it possible to suppress hindrance to viewing/listening to content.

Solutions to Problems

An information processing device of the present technology is aninformation processing device including a control unit that controlsoutput of a tactile stimulus in a case where notification information isreceived during output of content including sound, which the controlunit performs a process of controlling the tactile stimulus in responseto the content or a process of controlling the content in response tothe tactile stimulus. Alternatively, a program of the present technologyis a program that allows a computer to function as such an informationprocessing device.

An information processing method of the present technology is aninformation processing method including performing, using a control unitthat controls output of a tactile stimulus in a case where notificationinformation is received during output of content including sound, aprocess of controlling the tactile stimulus in response to the contentor a process of controlling the content in response to the tactilestimulus.

In the information processing device, the information processing method,and the program of the present technology, the output of the tactilestimulus is controlled in a case where the notification information isreceived during the output of the content including the sound. Further,the process of controlling the tactile stimulus in response to thecontent or the process of controlling the content in response to thetactile stimulus is performed.

Note that the information processing device may be an independent deviceor an internal block constituting one device.

In addition, the program can be distributed by transmitting via atransmission medium or by recording on a recording medium.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present technology, it is possible to suppresshindrance to viewing/listening to content.

Note that the effects described here are not necessarily limited, andthere may be any effects described in the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of anembodiment of an electronic device system to which the presenttechnology is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of theelectronic device system.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a first configuration example of acontrol unit 13.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a perception improvement processperformed by an audio control unit 22.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a third configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a fourth configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first example of a perceptionimprovement process performed by a vibration control unit 23.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the perceptionimprovement process performed by the vibration control unit 23.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a fifth configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a sixth configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of theelectronic device system in a case where output timing of reportvibration is controlled in response to urgency of notificationinformation.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of reporting notificationof notification information that is not highly urgent.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of anembodiment of a computer to which the present technology is applied.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION One Embodiment of an ElectronicDevice System to Which the Present Technology is Applied

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of anembodiment of an electronic device system to which the presenttechnology is applied.

In FIG. 1, the electronic device system includes a storage unit 11, aninformation receiving unit 12, a control unit 13, an audio output unit14, and a vibration output unit 15, and functions as, for example, anaudio reproduction device capable of reproducing sound such as music.

Here, the electronic device system can include one electronic device ora plurality of electronic devices.

In other words, the electronic device system can include, for example, amobile device such as a smartphone or a mobile player. Further, theelectronic device system can include a smartphone or a mobile player anda wearable device interlocking with the smartphone or the mobile player,such as a smart watch or a neck speaker.

In a case where the electronic device system includes, for example, asmartphone and a smart watch, the storage unit 11 to the audio outputunit 14 can be built in the smartphone, and the vibration output unit 15can be built in the smart watch. In a case where the electronic devicesystem includes, for example, a smartphone and a neck speaker, thestorage unit 11 to the control unit 13 can be built in the smartphone,and the audio output unit 14 and the vibration output unit 15 can bebuilt in the neck speaker.

The storage unit 11 stores audio content including sound, and reproducesthe stored audio content in response to, for example, a user's operationor the like.

Here, the audio content is content that includes at least sound, such asmusic, an image (a moving image) and sound accompanying the image, andthe like. In the following, in order to simplify the explanation, forexample, content including only sound such as music will be adopted asthe audio content.

Further, a memory built in the electronic device system or a storagemedium (for example, a memory card, an optical disk, etc.) that can beattached to and detached from the electronic device can be adopted asthe storage unit 11. The audio content can be stored in the storage unit11 in advance, stored in the storage unit 11 by streaming via a networksuch as the Internet, or the like.

The information receiving unit 12 receives notification information thata user should be notified by communication via an external network suchas the Internet, notification from an application (program) executed bythe electronic device system, or the like, and supplies the notificationinformation to the control unit 13. The information receiving unit 12is, for example, a communication circuit that receives data transmittedby wired communication or wireless communication.

The control unit 13 causes the audio output unit 14 to output sound, thevibration output unit 15 to output vibration, and the like. The controlunit 13 is one or multiple processing circuits including, for example, aCPU and a DSP.

For example, the control unit 13 supplies audio content reproduced bythe storage unit 11 to the audio output unit 14 and causes the audiooutput unit 14 to output the audio content. In other words, the controlunit 13 supplies an audio signal obtained by reproducing the audiocontent by the storage unit 11 to the audio output unit 14 and causesthe audio output unit 14 to output corresponding sound.

Further, the control unit 13 controls output of a tactile stimulus thatreports notification of notification information received by theinformation receiving unit 12 during output of audio content.

Here, the tactile stimulus is a stimulus that can be sensed by a tactilesense, and includes, for example, vibration, a direct stimulus to anerve by electricity, a stimulus by air pressure (force sense), astimulus by temperature, and the like.

The electronic device system can be provided with a tactile stimulusoutput unit that outputs various tactile stimuli. However, in FIG. 1,for simplification of explanation, the vibration output unit 15 thatoutputs vibration is provided as a kind of tactile stimulus output unit.

In a case where notification information is supplied from theinformation receiving unit 12 to the control unit 13 while audio contentis output from the audio output unit 14, that is, while a userviews/listens to the audio content, the control unit 13 supplies thevibration output unit 15 with a vibration signal for outputtingvibration that reports notification of the notification information fromthe information receiving unit 12 to the user. Thus, vibration is output(for example, the electronic device system is vibrated).

Further, the control unit 13 performs, as necessary, a process ofcontrolling (a vibration signal corresponding to) vibration output fromthe vibration output unit 15 in response to audio content from thestorage unit 11, or a process of controlling an audio (signal) of audiocontent from the storage unit 11 in response to vibration output fromthe vibration output unit 15.

The audio output unit 14 includes, for example, a speaker (included inearphones, headphones, wearable devices, etc.) and the like, and outputssound corresponding to an audio signal of audio content from the controlunit 13.

The vibration output unit 15 includes, for example, an eccentric motor,a linear resonant actuator (LRA), a piezoelectric element, or the like,and outputs vibration corresponding to a vibration signal from thecontrol unit 13. In other words, the vibration output unit 15 vibratesin response to the vibration signal from the control unit 13.

Note that notification of notification information can be reported to auser by (output of) report sound such as alarm sound that reports thenotification of the notification information to the user, in addition to(output of) vibration.

In a case where the notification of the notification information isreported to the user by the report sound, the control unit 13superimposes a signal of the report sound on the audio signal of theaudio content and supplies to the audio output unit 14.

Whether the notification of the notification information is reported tothe user by the vibration or by the report sound can be set, forexample, according to an operation of the user.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of operation of theelectronic device system in FIG. 1.

In step S11, the storage unit 11 starts reproducing audio content inresponse to, for example, a user operation, and the process proceeds tostep S12. An audio signal of the audio content obtained by reproducingthe audio content by the storage unit 11 is supplied to the control unit13. The control unit 13 supplies the audio signal from the storage unit11 to the audio output unit 14 and causes the audio output unit 14 tooutput a corresponding sound.

In step S12, it is determined whether the information receiving unit 12has received notification information. If it is determined in step S12that the notification information has not been received, the processreturns to S12.

Further, if it is determined in step S12 that the notificationinformation has been received, the information receiving unit 12supplies the notification information to the control unit 13, and theprocess proceeds to step S13.

In step S13, the control unit 13 reports notification of thenotification information to the user in response to the notificationinformation from the information receiving unit 12, and the processreturns to step S12.

In other words, the control unit 13 performs a vibration control processthat controls a stimulus signal for outputting a tactile stimulus, here,a vibration signal for outputting vibration, in response to the audiosignal of the audio content being reproduced. Alternatively, the controlunit 13 performs a content control process that controls the audiosignal (audio signal of the audio content being reproduced) from thestorage unit 11 in response to the vibration signal for outputting thevibration.

In a case where the vibration control process is performed, the controlunit 13 supplies the vibration signal obtained by the vibration controlprocess to the vibration output unit 15 and performs output control thatcauses the vibration output unit 15 to output corresponding vibration,so that the notification of the notification information is reported tothe user.

In a case where the content control process is performed, the controlunit 13 supplies the vibration signal used for the content controlprocess to the vibration output unit 15 and performs output control thatcauses the vibration output unit 15 to output corresponding vibration,so that the notification of the notification information is reported tothe user. Further, the control unit 13 supplies an audio signal obtainedby the content control process to the audio output unit 14 instead ofthe audio signal itself from the storage unit 11, and causes the audiooutput unit 14 to output corresponding sound.

Here, the electronic device system can adopt a method for displayingnotification of notification information on a display screen, a methodfor outputting report sound such as alarm sound, a method for outputtingvibration (for example, a method for vibrating the electronic devicesystem), and the like as a reporting method for reporting thenotification of the notification information to a user.

However, in a case where a user views/listens to audio content, the usermay not watch the display screen for a long time. In a case where theuser does not watch the display screen for a long time, the user cannotnotice notification information for a long time and cannot correspond tothe notification information in the method for displaying thenotification of the notification information on the display screen.

Further, according to the method for outputting the report sound, theuser can immediately notice the notification information by outputting acharacteristic report sound after greatly lowering volume of the audiocontent.

However, sudden lowering of the volume of the audio content andoutputting of the report sound unrelated to the audio content while theuser views/listens to the audio content may hinder the user fromviewing/listening to the audio content and make the user feeluncomfortable.

Therefore, according to the method for outputting the vibration, in acase where the user views/listens to the audio content, hindrance to theuser's viewing/listening to the audio content is suppressed, and thenotification of the notification information can be reported to theuser.

However, in a case where the user feels vibration regardless of thevibration that reports the notification of the notification information(hereinafter, also referred to as report vibration), such a in a case ofmoving by train, the report vibration may not be noticed.

In addition, even in a case where the user does not feel vibrationregardless of the report vibration, when the user views/listens to audiocontent, consciousness is less likely to be directed to vibration as atactile stimulus due to an auditory stimulus (stimulus to an auditorysense) by the audio content, and the report vibration may not benoticed.

Therefore, the control unit 13 performs a perception improvement processthat improves perception of vibration (tactile stimulus), for example,the vibration control process, the content control process as describedwith reference to FIG. 2, or the like. Thus, while hindrance to user'sviewing/listening to the audio content is suppressed, it makes it easierfor the user to notice report vibration that reports notification ofnotification information, and the notification information can beresponded promptly.

Hereinafter, the control unit 13 that performs various perceptionimprovement processes will be described.

Note that, in the electronic device system, notification of notificationinformation can be reported to the user by any method (including aplurality of methods) for displaying notification of notificationinformation on a display screen, for outputting report sound such asalarm sound, or for outputting vibration. However, in the following,unless otherwise specified, the electronic device system reports thenotification of the notification information to the user by the methodfor outputting the vibration.

First Configuration Example of Control Unit 13

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a first configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

In FIG. 3, the control unit 13 includes a report control unit 21, anaudio control unit 22, and a vibration control unit 23.

Notification information is supplied to the report control unit 21 fromthe information receiving unit 12. The report control unit 21 performsvarious controls for reporting notification of the notificationinformation to a user.

In other words, when the notification information is supplied from theinformation receiving unit 12, the report control unit 21 controls thevibration control unit 23 by supplying the vibration control unit 23with report command that gives a command to report the notification ofthe notification information or the like to the user. Further, thereport control unit 21 controls the audio control unit 22 by supplyingthe audio control unit 22 with a command requesting that a perceptionimprovement process be performed or the like.

Note that, in addition, the report control unit 21 determines a methodof reporting (vibration, report sound, etc.), a timing of reporting, andthe like, and controls the audio control unit 22 and the vibrationcontrol unit 23 in response to the determined contents.

The audio control unit 22 is supplied with an audio signal of audiocontent from the storage unit 11. The audio control unit 22 supplies theaudio signal of the audio content from the storage unit 11 to the audiooutput unit 14, so that a corresponding sound is output. Further, theaudio control unit 22 performs a content control process as theperception improvement process that controls the audio signal of theaudio content from the storage unit 11 in response to (vibrationcorresponding to) a vibration signal generated by the vibration controlunit 23 according to the control of the report control unit 21. Then,the audio control unit 22 supplies an audio signal obtained by (thecontent control process as) the perception improvement process to theaudio output unit 14, so that a corresponding sound is output.

The vibration control unit 23 generates a vibration signal foroutputting report vibration in response to the report command from thereport control unit 21, and supplies the vibration signal to thevibration output 15. The vibration output unit 15 outputs reportvibration in response to the vibration signal from the vibration controlunit 23.

In the control unit 13 of FIG. 3 configured as described above, when thenotification information is supplied from the information receiving unit12 to the report control unit 21, the report control unit 21 causes thevibration control unit 23 to output the report vibration. Further, thereport control unit 2 controls the audio control unit 22 so as toperform the perception improvement process.

The audio control unit 22 per forms the perception improvement processof controlling the audio signal of the audio content from the storageunit 11 according to the control of the report control unit 21, andsupplies the audio signal obtained by the perception improvement processto the audio output unit 14, so that the corresponding sound is output.

The vibration control unit 23 generates the vibration signal accordingto the control of the report control unit 21, and supplies the vibrationsignal to the vibration output unit 15, so that the corresponding reportvibration is output.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the perception improvement processperformed by the audio control unit 22 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 shows a frequency spectrum of (the sound corresponding to) theaudio signal of the audio content and a frequency spectrum of (thereport vibration corresponding to) the vibration signal.

The report control unit 21 of FIG. 3 controls the audio control unit 22so as to control the frequency spectrum of the sound of the audiocontent in response to the frequency spectrum of the report vibration.

Specifically, the report control unit 21 acquires the frequency spectrumof the vibration signal and detects a frequency band B11 in which power(energy) of the vibration signal is large, that is, for example, thefrequency band B11 in which the power of the vibration signal is equalto or higher than a threshold value. Then, the report control unit 21controls the audio control unit 22 so that a process of suppressingpower of a frequency band B11 of the audio signal of the audio contentis performed as the perception improvement process (content controlprocess).

As shown in FIG. 4, according to the control of the report control unit21, the audio control unit 22 performs an equalization process thatsuppresses the power of the frequency band B11 of the audio signal ofthe audio content on the audio signal of the audio content, and suppliesan audio signal after the equalization process to the audio output unit14.

Here, in a case where the frequency band in which the power of (thevibration signal corresponding to) the report vibration is large and thefrequency band in which the power of the audio (signal) of the audiocontent is large overlap, it is presumed that user's consciousness isperceptively less likely to be directed to the report vibration byviewing/listening to the audio content.

Therefore, as described above, by suppressing the power of the frequencyband B11 in which the power of the vibration signal is large among thepower of the audio signal of the audio content, the power of thevibration signal is relatively larger than the power the sound of theaudio content in the frequency band B11.

As a result, a fact that the user's consciousness is less likely to bedirected to the report vibration by viewing/listening to the audiocontent is suppressed, and the user is more likely to notice the reportvibration.

Note that, since only the power of the frequency band B11 in which thepower of the vibration signal is large among the power of the audiosignal of the audio content is suppressed here, it is possible tosuppress influence on user's viewing/listening to the audio contentcompared with a case where volume of the audio content is greatlyreduced.

In the report control unit 21, the frequency spectrum of the vibrationsignal can be acquired, for example, by frequency analysis of thevibration signal generated by the vibration control unit 23. Further,the frequency spectrum of the vibration signal can be obtained inadvance by, for example, prior analysis. Further, the frequency spectrumof the vibration signal can be approximated by, for example, amountain-shaped spectrum centered on a resonance frequency of thevibration output unit 15.

Second Configuration Example of Control Unit 13

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a second configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

Note that, in the drawings, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 3 aredesignated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof willbe omitted as appropriate.

In FIG. 5, the control unit 13 includes the report control unit 21, theaudio control unit 22, the vibration control unit 23, and an audioanalysis unit 31.

Therefore, the control unit 13 of FIG. 5 is common to a case of FIG. 3in that it includes the report control unit 21, the audio control unit22, and the vibration control unit 23. However, the control unit 13 ofFIG. 5 is different from the case of FIG. 3 in that the audio analysisunit 31 is newly provided.

The audio analysis unit 31 is supplied with an audio signal of audiocontent reproduced by the storage unit 11. The audio analysis unit 31extracts a predetermined feature amount such as a frequency spectrumfrom the audio signal by analyzing the audio signal from the storageunit 11 and supplies it to the report control unit 21. For example, theaudio analysis unit 31 can obtain the frequency spectrum or the like ofthe audio signal by performing frequency analysis of the audio signalfrom the storage unit 11 and supply it to the report control unit 21.

In FIG. 5, the report control unit 21 performs a process similar to thecase of FIG. 3, and also controls the audio control unit 22 in responseto the frequency spectrum of the audio signal from the audio analysisunit 31.

In other words, in a case where power of a frequency band B11 in whichpower of vibration signal is large among power of the frequency spectrumof the audio signal is large, that is, in a case where the power of thefrequency band B11 of the audio signal is equal to or more than athreshold value, the report control unit 21 controls the audio controlunit 22 so as to perform the equalization process that suppresses thepower of the frequency band B11 of the audio signal of the audiocontent, as described in FIG. 4.

On the other hand, in a case where the power of the frequency band B11in which the power of the vibration signal is large among the power ofthe frequency spectrum of the audio signal is not large, that is, in acase where the power of the frequency band B11 of the audio signal isnot equal to or more than the threshold value, the report control unit21 omits (does not perform) controlling of the audio control unit 22 soas to perform the equalization process.

This is because in a case where the power of the frequency band B11 ofthe audio signal is not large, the user's consciousness tends to bedirected to the report vibration in which the power of the frequencyband B11 is large even without suppressing the power of the audio signalof the frequency band B11.

Third Configuration Example of Control Unit 13

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a third configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

Note that, in the drawings, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 3 aredesignated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof willbe omitted as appropriate.

In FIG. 6, the control unit 13 includes the report control unit 21, theaudio control unit 22, the vibration control unit 23, and an externalsound processing unit 41.

Therefore, the control unit 13 of FIG. 6 is common to the case of FIG. 3in that it includes the report control unit 21, the audio control unit22, and the vibration control unit 23. However, the control unit 13 ofFIG. 6 is different from the case of FIG. 3 in that the external soundprocessing unit 41 is newly provided.

The external sound processing unit 41 is supplied with an audio signalof audio content reproduced by the storage unit 11. The external soundprocessing unit 41 performs an external sound process on the audiosignal of the audio content from the storage unit 11 as necessary, andsupplies an audio signal after the external sound process or the audiosignal of the audio content from the storage unit 11 to the audiocontrol unit 22.

Here, the external sound process includes a process of realizing anexternal sound capture function that captures ambient sound into soundoutput from the audio output unit 14 and a noise cancel function thatcancels the ambient sound from the sound output from the audio outputunit 14. Therefore, according to the external sound capture function,when a user views/listens to the audio content, it becomes easy to hearthe ambient sound. On the other hand, according to the noise cancelfunction, when the user views/listens to the audio content, it becomesdifficult to hear the ambient sound, that is, noise. It can be said thatcontradictory processes in a sense, that is, a process of superimposingambient sound and a process of removing the ambient sound, are performedin the external sound capture function and the noise cancel function.Therefore, the external sound capture function and the noise cancelfunction cannot be turned on at the same time.

The control unit 13 can turn on/off the external sound capture functionand the noise cancel function, and when report vibration is output fromthe vibration output unit 15, the report control unit 21 controls on/offof the external sound capture function and the noise cancel function bycontrolling the external sound processing unit 41.

The external sound processing unit 41 measures the ambient sound andperforms the external sound process on the audio signal of the audiocontent from the storage unit 11 using a signal of the ambient sound(hereinafter, also referred to as an ambient sound signal) obtained bythe measurement.

In other words, in a case where the external sound capture function isturned on, the external sound. processing unit 41 performs a process ofsuperimposing the ambient sound signal on the audio signal of the audiocontent from the storage unit 11 as the external sound process. Further,in a case where the noise cancel function is turned on, the externalsound processing unit 41 performs a process of superimposing a signal ofan opposite phase of the ambient sound signal on the audio signal of theaudio content from the storage unit 11 as the external sound process.

The external sound capture function and the noise cancel function can beturned on/off by a user's operation, control of the external soundprocessing unit 41 by the report control unit 21, and the like.

In the control unit 13 configured as described above, when theinformation receiving unit 12 receives notification information andsupplies it to the report control unit 21, the report control unit 21controls the audio control unit 22 and the vibration control unit 23, ina manner similar to the case of FIG. 3.

Further, the report control unit 21 detects current ON/OFF states of theexternal sound capture function and the noise cancel function andcontrols on/off of the external sound capture function and the noisecancel function by controlling the external sound processing unit 41 inresponse to a result of the detection.

In other words, the report control unit 21 controls the external soundprocessing unit 41 so that an external sound process that conflicts withthe external sound process currently performed is performed as much aspossible.

Specifically, in a case where the external sound capture function isturned on and the noise cancel function is turned off, the reportcontrol unit 21 controls the external sound processing unit 41 so as toturn off the external sound capture function or to turn off the externalsound capture function and turn on the noise cancel function. In thiscase, a state of hearing sound output from the audio output unit 14changes from a state in which it is easy to hear an ambient sound to astate in which it is difficult to hear it.

In a case where the noise cancel function is turned on and the externalsound capture function is turned off, the report control unit 21controls the external sound processing unit 41 so as to turn off thenoise cancel function or to turn off the noise cancel function and turnon the external sound capture function. In this case, the state ofnearing the sound output from the audio output unit 14 changes from thestate in which it is difficult to hear the ambient sound to the state inwhich it is easy to hear it.

In a case where the external sound capture function and the noise cancelfunction are turned off, the report control unit 21 controls theexternal sound processing unit 41 so as to turn on the external soundcapture function or to turn on the noise cancel function. In this case,the state of hearing the sound output from the audio output unit 14changes from a state in which it is neither easy to hear nor difficultto hear the ambient sound to the state in which it is easy to hear it orto the state in which it is difficult to hear it.

As described above, the state of hearing the ambient sound changes withrespect to the sound output from the audio output unit 14, so that auser is more conscious of a tactile stimulus and more easily noticesreport vibration.

Fourth Configuration Example of Control Unit 13

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a fourth configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

Note that, in the drawings, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 5 aredesignated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof willbe omitted as appropriate.

In FIG. 7, the control unit 13 includes the report control unit 21, theaudio control unit 22, the vibration control unit 23, and the audioanalysis unit 31.

Therefore, the control unit 13 of FIG. 7 is configured similarly to thecase of FIG. 5.

However, in the control unit 13 of FIG. 7, the perception improvementprocess is performed not by the audio control unit 22 but by thevibration control unit 23.

In other words, when the notification information is supplied from theinformation receiving unit 12, the report control unit 21 controls thevibration control unit 23 by supplying the vibration control unit 23with report command that gives a command to report the notification ofthe notification information or the like to the user. Further, thereport control unit 21 controls the vibration control unit 23 bysupplying the vibration control unit 23 with a command requesting thatthe perception improvement process be performed or the like in responseto a feature amount of an audio signal of audio content supplied fromthe audio analysis unit 31.

The vibration control unit 23 performs a vibration control process asthe perception improvement process that controls a vibration signal inresponse to the audio (signal) of the audio content reproduced in thestorage unit 11 according to the control of the report control unit 21.Then, the vibration control unit 23 supplies a vibration signal obtainedby (the vibration control process as) the perception improvement processto the vibration output unit 15, so that corresponding report vibrationis output.

In the control unit 13 of FIG. 7 configured as described above, theaudio signal of the audio content reproduced by the storage unit 11 issupplied to the audio control unit 22 and the audio analysis unit 31.The audio control unit 22 supplies the audio signal from the storageunit 11 to the audio output unit 14 and causes the audio output unit 14to output a corresponding sound at volume according to the control ofthe report control unit 21, for example.

Further, the audio analysis unit 31 analyzes the audio signal from thestorage unit 11, obtains an acoustic or musical feature amount such as afrequency spectrum or a heat cycle of the audio signal, and supplies itto the report control unit 21.

Then, when the notification information is supplied from the informationreceiving unit 12 to the report control unit 21, the report control unit21 controls the vibration control unit 23 so as to perform theperception improvement process in response to the feature amount of theaudio signal from the audio analysis unit 31.

The vibration control unit 23 performs the perception improvementprocess according to the control of the report control unit 21, andsupplies the vibration signal obtained by the perception improvementprocess to the vibration output unit 15, so that the correspondingreport vibration is output.

Here, as the perception improvement process, the report control unit 21can control the vibration control unit 23 so as to control a frequencyspectrum of (the vibration signal for outputting) the report vibrationin response to, for example, the frequency spectrum as the featureamount of the audio signal of the audio content.

Further, as the perception improvement process, the report control unit21 can control the vibration control unit 23 so as to control outputtiming of the report vibration in response to, for example, the beatcycle as the feature amount of the audio signal of the audio content.

Further, as the perception improvement process, the report control unit21 can control the vibration control unit 23 so as to control intensityof the report vibration in response to the volume of the sound of theaudio content.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a first example of the perceptionimprovement process performed by the vibration control unit 23 of FIG.7.

FIG. 8 shows the frequency spectrum of (the sound corresponding to) theaudio signal of the audio content and the frequency spectrum of (thereport vibration corresponding to) the vibration signal.

In the first example of the perception improvement process, the reportcontrol unit 21 of FIG. 7 controls the vibration control unit 23 so asto control the frequency spectrum of (the report vibration correspondingto) the vibration signal in response to the frequency spectrum of (thesound corresponding to) the audio signal of the audio content.

Specifically, the report control unit 21 detects a frequency band B21 inwhich power of the audio signal is small within a frequency range thatcan be taken as a frequency component of the report vibration (vibrationsignal) from the frequency spectrum of the audio signal of the audiocontent. As the frequency band B21 in which the power of the audiosignal is small, for example, a frequency band in which the power of theaudio signal is a minimum, a frequency band in which the power is equalto or less than a threshold value, or the like can be adopted within thefrequent range that can be taken as the frequency component of thereport vibration.

After that, the report control unit 21 controls the vibration controlunit 23 so as to perform a process of generating a vibration signal of afrequency spectrum in which the power of the frequency band B21 becomesa maximum (frequency peak) as the perception improvement process(vibration control process).

As shown in FIG. 8, the vibration control unit 23 generates thevibration signal of the frequency spectrum in which the power of thefrequency band B21 becomes the maximum and supplies it to the vibrationoutput unit 15 according to the control of the report control unit 21.

According the first example of the perception improvement process, sincethe vibration signal having the large power in the frequency band inwhich the power of the audio signal is small is generated, a user caneasily notice the report vibration corresponding to the vibrationsignal. Further, since the audio content is not processed in the firstexample of the perception improvement process, a user viewing/listeningto the audio content can be prevented from feeling a sense of discomfortin the audio content.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second example of the perceptionimprovement process performed by the vibration control unit 23 of FIG.7.

FIG. 9 shows a (time-varying) waveform of the audio signal of the audiocontent and a waveform of the vibration signal.

In the second example of the perception improvement process, the reportcontrol unit 21 of FIG. 7 controls the vibration control unit 23 so asto control the output timing of (the report vibration corresponding to)the vibration signal in response to the beat cycle of the audio signalof the audio content.

Specifically, the report control unit 21 controls the vibration controlunit 23 so as to perform a process of generating a vibration signal inwhich a waveform rises in synchronization with a beat of the audiosignal of the audio content as the perception improvement process(vibration control process).

As shown in FIG. 9, the vibration control unit 23 generates a vibrationsignal in which a waveform rises at the beginning of the beat cycle ofthe audio signal of the audio content and supplies it to the vibrationoutput unit 15 according to the control of the report control unit 21.

Note that in the second example of the perception improvement process,in addition to generating the vibration signal in which the waveformrises at the beginning of the beat cycle of the audio signal of theaudio content, a vibration signal interlocked with the beat of the audiosignal of the audio content in any form can be generated. For example,it is possible to generate a vibration signal in which a waveform risesat a position deviated by a predetermined time from the begging of thebeat cycle of the audio signal of the audio content, a vibration signalwhich a waveform rises at timing of an upbeat of the audio signal of theaudio content, and the like.

According to the second example of the perception improvement process,the beat of the audio content and the beat of the report vibration areinterlocked, so that a user can easily notice the report vibration.Further, similarly to the first example, the audio content is notprocessed in the second example of the perception improvement process,so that a user viewing/listening to the audio content can be preventedfrom feeling a sense of discomfort in the audio content.

Here, the beat cycle of the audio signal of the audio content can beobtained by (acoustic) analysis using a temporal change of the audiosignal, a structure of the frequency spectrum, and the like. Inaddition, the beat cycle of the audio signal of the audio content can beobtained by using, for example, prior information of music (for example,a time signature of a musical score and the like) as the audio content.

Note that, as the additional perception improvement process, the reportcontrol unit 21 can control the vibration control unit 23 so as tocontrol the intensity of the report vibration in response to the volumeof the sound of the audio content.

For example, the report control unit 21 can control the vibrationcontrol unit 23 so that the higher the volume of the sound of the audiocontent, the higher the intensity (magnitude) of the report vibration,in response to signal intensity (amplitude or power) of the audio signalof the audio content reproduced in the storage unit 11 and a volumestate for adjusting the volume.

In this case, if the volume of the sound of the audio content reproducedat the time of reporting notification of notification information ishigh, high-intensity report vibration is output, and if the volume islow, low-intensity report vibration is output, so that a user can easilynotice the report vibration.

Furthermore, it is possible to output the report vibration withintensity necessary and sufficient for the volume of the sound of theaudio content, and it is possible to suppress hindrance to user's musicexperience caused by output of report vibration with intensity exceedingnecessary intensity, an increase in power consumption, and the like.

Fifth Configuration Example of Control Unit 13

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a fifth configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

Note that, in the drawings, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 5 orFIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptionthereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In FIG. 10, the control unit 13 includes the report control unit 21, theaudio control unit 22, the vibration control unit 23, and the audioanalysis unit 31.

Therefore, the control unit 13 of FIG. 10 is configured similarly to thecase of FIG. 5 or FIG. 7.

However, in the control unit 13 of FIG. 10, a signal obtained byreproducing audio content in the storage unit 11 is supplied to thevibration control unit 23 in addition to the audio control unit 22 andthe audio analysis unit 31.

The control unit 13 of FIG. 10 has a sound interlocking vibrationfunction. The sound interlocking vibration function is a function inwhich vibration is output interlocking with sound of audio content. Thevibration output interlocking with the sound of the audio content isalso called interlocking vibration. According to the sound interlockingvibration function, it is possible to increase a sense of immersion andpower in the audio content. The sound interlocking vibration functioncan be turned on/off in response to, for example, a user operation orthe like.

In FIG. 10, in addition to generating a vibration signal for outputtingreport vibration, the vibration control unit 23 generates a vibrationsignal for outputting interlocking vibration interlocked with an audiosignal of the audio content and supplies it to the vibration output unit15. Therefore, the vibration output unit 15 of FIG. 10 outputs theinterlocking vibration in addition to the report vibration.

Note that, in the vibration control unit 23, the vibration signal foroutputting the interlocking vibration can be generated by using an audiosignal obtained by reproducing the audio content in the storage unit 11.Further, in a case where the audio content includes generationinformation for generating the interlocking vibration, the vibrationsignal for outputting the interlocking vibration can be generated in thevibration control unit 23 by using generation information included in asignal obtained by reproducing the audio content in the storage unit 11.

In a case where the sound interlocking vibration function is turned onand the sound of the audio content and the interlocking vibration areoutput, even if the report vibration is output, a user may be distractedby the interlocking vibration and hardly notice the report vibration.

Therefore, in the case where the sound interlocking vibration functionis turned on, when the report vibration is output, the report controlunit 21 can control the vibration control unit 23 so as to control theoutput of the interlocking vibration.

In other words, for example, the report control unit 21 can control thevibration control unit 23 so as to suspend the output of theinterlocking vibration only while the report vibration is output.Alternative for example, the report control unit 21 can control thevibration control unit 23 so as to lower an interlocking property of theinterlocking vibration with respect to the sound of the audio content(for example, so as to vibrate at timing deviated from originalvibration timing) only while the report vibration is output.

As described above, the output of the interlocking vibration is stopped,or the interlocking property of the interlocking vibration is lowered,so that the user can easily notice the report vibration.

Note that, in the case where the sound interlocking vibration functionis turned on, in addition to outputting the report vibration separatelyfrom the interlocking vibration, the interlocking vibration with theinterlocking property lowered with respect to the sound of the audiocontent can be used as the report vibration.

Sixth Configuration Example of Control Unit 13

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a sixth configuration example of thecontrol unit 13.

Note that, in the drawings, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 5 orFIG. 7 are designated by the same reference numerals, and descriptionthereof will be omitted as appropriate.

In FIG. 11, the control unit 13 includes the report control unit 21, theaudio control unit 22, the vibration control unit 23, the audio analysisunit 31, and an information analysis unit 51.

Therefore, the control unit 13 of FIG. 11 is configured similarly to thecase of FIG. 5 or FIG. 7 in that it includes the report control unit 21,the audio control unit 22, the vibration control unit 23, and the audioanalysis unit 31. However, the control unit 13 of FIG. 11 is differentfrom the case of FIG. 5 or 7 in that the information analysis unit 51 isnewly provided.

Notification information is supplied to the information analysis unit 51from the information receiving unit 12. The information analysis unit 51analyzes the notification information from the information receivingunit 12 and determines urgency of the notification information. Forexample, in a case where the notification information is information inwhich immediate response by a user is desirable, such as a messageindicating that a call is being received or an alert providingnotification of a sudden change in weather, it is determined that theurgency is high. Further, for example, in a case where the notificationinformation is information in which necessity for immediate response bya user is low, such as an e-mail reception or a message providingnotification of a battery residual quantity, it is determined that theurgency is low. A method for determining the urgency of the notificationinformation is not particularly limited.

When the information analysis unit 51 determines urgency of thenotification information, the information analysis unit 51 supplies adetermination result of the urgency to the report control unit 21.

The report control unit 21 controls output timing of report sound orreport vibration in response to the determination result of the urgencyof the notification information from the information analysis unit 51.

In other words, in a case where the urgency of the notificationinformation is high, the report control unit 21 controls the audiocontrol unit 22 or the vibration control unit 23 so as to immediatelyperform a perception improvement process in response to thedetermination result that the urgency of the notification information ishigh, and report vibration is output. Therefore, since the reportvibration is immediately output for the notification information withthe high urgency, the user can immediately notice the report vibrationand quickly respond to the notification information with the highurgency.

On the other hand, in a case where the urgency of the notificationinformation is low (not high), the report control unit 21 detects aspecific (reproduction) section of sound of audio content reproduced bythe storage unit 11 as a report section for reporting notification ofthe notification information in response to the determination resultthat the urgency of the notification information is low. In the reportcontrol unit 21, the detection of the report section can be performed inresponse to an analysis result of an audio signal of the audio contentby the audio analysis unit 31.

In the detection of the report section, a section that does not hinderthe user from viewing/listening to music content as much as possible dueto reporting by the report sound or the report vibration can be detectedas the report section. In other words, for example, a quiet section ofsound of the audio content, a predetermined time section starting fromthe end of a chorus of a song as the audio content, a song interval fromthe end of a song to the start of a next song as the audio content, etc.can be detected as the report section. In the detection of the reportsection, for example, by using power of each fixed section of an audiosignal of the audio content, a group of continuous fixed sections havingpower equal to or less than a threshold value can be detected as thereport section. Further, in the detection of the report section, forexample, the report section can be detected by using a chorus orinterlude section specified by performing a musical information processof the audio content.

The report control unit 21 controls the audio control unit 22 or thevibration control unit 23 so as to output report sound or reportvibration in the report section. The audio control unit 22 or thevibration control unit 23 supplies a report sound signal or a vibrationsignal to the audio output unit 14 or the vibration output unit 15 inthe report section according to the control of the report control unit21. With this arrangement, the report sound or the report vibration isoutput in (timing of) the report section.

Note that, in the output of the report vibration in a case where urgencyof the notification information is low, the perception improvementprocess may or may not be performed.

As described above, in a case where the urgency of the notificationinformation is low, the report section such as between songs isdetected, and the report sound or the report vibration is output in thereport section. Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent user'smusic experience from being significantly impaired by outputting thereport sound or the report vibration when a chorus of a song is outputas the audio content It should be noted that the output of the reportsound or the report vibration in the report section such as betweensongs does not significantly impair the user's music experience.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing of theelectronic device system including the control unit 13 of FIG. 11 and ina case where output timing of report vibration is controlled in responseto urgency of notification information.

Note that audio content is reproduced in the storage unit 11 and acorresponding sound output from the audio output unit 14.

In step S31, the information receiving unit 12 receives notificationinformation after notification of the notification information sprovided and supplies it to the information analysis unit 51. Theprocess proceeds to step S32.

In step S32, the information analysis unit 51 analyzes the notificationinformation from the information receiving unit 12 and determineswhether urgency of the notification information is high.

If it is determined in step S32 that the urgency of the notificationinformation is high, the process proceeds to step S33.

In step S33, the report control unit 21 controls the audio control unit22 or the vibration control unit 23 so as to immediately perform theperception improvement process. The audio control unit 22 or thevibration control unit 23 performs a content control process or avibration control process as the perception improvement processaccording to the control of the report control unit 21. The processproceeds from step S33 to step S34.

In step S34, the vibration output unit 15 outputs report vibration, sothat notification of the notification information is reported.

Note that, if the vibration control unit 23 performs the vibrationcontrol process as the perception improvement process in step S33,report vibration corresponding to a vibration signal obtained by thevibration control process is output in step S34. Further, if thevibration control unit 23 does not perform the vibration control processas the perception improvement process in step S33, report vibrationcorresponding to a vibration signal generated by a predetermined methodis output in step S34.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S32 that the urgency ofthe notification information is not high, the process proceeds to stepS35.

In step S35, the report control unit 21 detects a specific(reproduction) section of an audio signal of the audio content as areport section for outputting the report vibration in response to ananalysis result of the audio content by the audio analysis unit 31. Theprocess proceeds to step S36.

In step S36, the report control unit 21 determines whether a currentreproduction position of the audio content is a position within thereport section (whether the report section is reproduced).

If it is determined in step S36 that the current reproduction positionof the audio content is not the position within the report section, theprocess proceeds to step S37.

In step S37, the report control unit 21 suspends report of notificationof the notification information. The process returns to step S36, and asimilar process is repeated thereafter.

Then, if it is determined in step S36 that the current reproductionposition of the audio content is the position within the report section,the process proceeds to step S33.

In step S33 and step S34, a process similar to the above-described caseis performed. With this arrangement, report vibration is output in thereport section, and the notification of the notification information isreported.

Note that, if it is determined that the urgency of the notificationinformation is not high, notification of the notification information isreported by outputting the report vibration in the report section, andalso notification of the notification information can be reported byoutputting report sound in the report section.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of reporting notificationof notification information that is not highly urgent.

In FIG. 13, a section of an interlude starting from time t2 immediatelyafter a chorus of a song as audio content and a section between songsstarting from time t4 are detected as report sections by analysis or theaudio content by the audio analysis unit 31.

Further, in FIG. 13, the notification information is received at time t1during reproduction of a so-called B melody of the song as the audiocontent and at time t3 during reproduction of the chorus.

Since there is no report section immediately after the notificationinformation is received at the time t1, report of notification of thenotification information is suspended. Then, the notification of thenotification information received at the time t1 is reported in a reportsection starting from the time t2, which is an immediate report sectionafter the time t1.

Similarly, notification of the notification information received at thetime t3 is reported in a report section starting from the time t4, whichis an immediate report section after the time t3.

Note that in a case where the notification of the notificationinformation which is not highly urgent is reported in the reportsection, report of the notification of the notification information issuspended until the report section. In a case where music content is,for example, general Japanese popular music, time required from anarbitrary reproduction position of the music content to a report sectionis estimated to be about several seconds to several minutes from a musicstructure of the general Japanese popular music. Therefore, in a casewhere the notification of the notification information is reported inthe report section, is presumed that a user's response is delayed byabout several seconds to several minutes as compared with a case wherethe notification is reported immediately after the notificationinformation is received.

On the other hand, in a case where the notification of the notificationinformation is reported immediately after the notification informationis received, the notification of the notification information may bereported during reproduction of an exciting section of a song as theaudio content, such as a chorus of the song. In this case, it is highlypossible that a user concentrates on viewing/listening to the song asthe audio content and does not notice the report of the notification ofthe notification information without the perception improvement process.Then, in a case where the user does not notice the report of thenotification of the notification information, the notificationinformation is left for a long time exceeding, for example, aboutseveral seconds to several minutes, and a user's response is delayed bysuch a long time.

On the other hand, in a case where the notification of the notificationinformation is reported in the report section, it is highly possiblethat the user's response is delayed by about several seconds to severalminutes, but it is easier for the user to notice the report. As aresult, as described above, time until the user responds to thenotification information can be shortened as compared with a case wherethe notification information is left for a long time.

As described above, according to the present technology, in a case wherethe notification of the notification information is reported to the userviewing/listening to the audio content, it is possible to suppresshindrance to user's viewing/listening to the music content and reportthe notification of the notification information so that the user caneasily notice it. Further, the time until the user responds to thenotification information can be shortened.

Note that, in addition to the vibration, any tactile stimulus that canbe sensed by a tactile sense, such as a direct stimulus to a nerve byelectricity, a stimulus by air pressure (force sense), a stimulus bytemperature, and the like can be adopted for the report of thenotification of the notification information. For example, in a casewhere the direct stimulus to the nerve by the electricity is adopted forthe report of the notification of notification information, the stimulusby the electricity so as to be interlocked with a song or the like asaudio content is given to a user. Thus, it is possible to suppresshindrance to user's music experience and to report the notification ofthe notification information to the user in an easily perceptiblemanner.

Explanation of Computer to Which the Present Technology is Applied

Next, the series of processes of the control unit 13 described above canbe performed by hardware or software. In a case where the series ofprocesses is performed by the software, a program constituting thesoftware is installed on a general-purpose computer or the like.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of anembodiment of a computer on which program for executing theabove-mentioned series of processes is installed.

The program can be previously recorded on a hard disk 905 or a ROM 903as a recording medium built in the computer.

Alternatively, the program can be stored (recorded) in a removablerecording medium 911 driven by a drive 909. Such a removable recordingmedium 911 can be provided as so-called package software. Here, theremovable recording medium 911 includes, for example, a flexible disk, acompact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto optical (MO) disk, adigital versatile disc (DVD), a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory,and the like.

Note that, in addition to installing the program on the computer fromthe removable recording medium 911 as described above, the program canbe downloaded to the computer via a communication network or abroadcasting network and installed on the built-in hard disk 905. Inother words, for example, the program can be transferred wirelessly froma download site to the computer via an artificial satellite for digitalsatellite broadcasting, or transferred to the computer by wire via anetwork such as a local area network (LAN) or the Internet.

The computer has a built-in central processing unit (CPU) 902, and anI/O interface 910 is connected to the CPU 902 via a bus 901.

When a command is input by a user through the I/O interface 910 byoperating an input unit 907 or the like, the CPU 902 executes theprogram stored in the read only memory (ROM) 903 accordingly.Alternatively, the CPU 902 loads the program stored in the hard disk 905into a random access memory (RAM) 904 and executes it.

With this arrangement, the CPU 902 performs the process according to theabove-mentioned flowchart or the process performed according to themove-mentioned block diagram configuration. Then, for example, the CPU902 causes a result of the process to be output from the output unit 906or transmitted from a communication unit 908, and further recorded onthe hard disk 905 via the I/O interface 910, or the like, if necessary.

Note that the input unit 907 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone,and the like. Further, the output unit 906 includes a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD), a speaker, and the like.

Here, in the present specification, the processes performed by thecomputer according to the program do not necessarily have to beperformed in time series in the order described as the flowcharts. Inother words, the processes performed by the computer according to theprogram also includes processing executed in parallel or individually(for example, parallel processing or object processing).

Further, the program may be processed by one computer (processor) or maybe distributed and processed by a plurality of computers. Further, theprogram may be transferred to a distant computer and executed.

Further, in the present specification, the system means a set of aplurality of components (devices, modules (parts), etc.), and it doesnot matter whether or not all the components are in the same housing.Therefore, a plurality of devices housed in separate housings andconnected via a network, and one device housing a plurality of modulesin one housing are both systems.

Note that an embodiment of the present technology is not limited to theabove-described embodiment, and various modifications can be madewithout departing from the scope of the present technology.

For example, the present technology can be configured as cloud computingin which one function is shared and jointly processed by a plurality ofdevices via a network.

Further, each step described in the above-described flowcharts can beexecuted by one device or shared and executed by a plurality of devices.

Furthermore, in a case where one step includes a plurality of processes,the plurality of processes included in the one step can be executed byone device or shared and executed by a plurality of devices.

Further, the effects described in the present specification are merelyexamples and are not limited, and there may be other effects.

Note that the present technology can have the following configurations.

<1>

An information processing device including

a control unit that controls output of a tactile stimulus in a casewhere notification information is received during output of contentincluding sound,

in which the control unit performs a process of controlling the tactilestimulus in response to the content or a process of controlling thecontent in response to the tactile stimulus.

<2>

The information processing device according to <1>,

in which the control unit controls output of vibration as the tactilestimulus.

<3>

The information processing device according to <2>,

in which the control unit controls a frequency spectrum of the vibrationin response to the sound.

<4>

The information processing device according to <2>,

in which the control unit controls output timing of the vibration inresponse to the sound.

<5>

The information processing device according to <2>,

in which the control unit controls intensity of the vibration inresponse to volume of the sound.

<6>

The information processing device according to <2>,

in which the control unit controls a frequency spectrum of the sound inresponse to a frequency spectrum of the vibration.

<7>

The information processing device according to any one of <2>to <6>,

in which in a case where the sound and interlocking vibrationinterlocked with the sound are output, the control unit controls outputof the interlocking vibration when the vibration is output.

<8>

The information processing device according to any one of <2>to <6>,

in which in a case where an external sound capture function thatcaptures an ambient sound into the sound or a noise cancel function thatcancels the ambient sound from the sound can be turned on/off, thecontrol unit controls on/off of the external sound capture function orthe noise cancel function when the vibration is output.

<9>

The information processing device according to any one of <1>to <8>,

in which the control unit controls output timing of the tactile stimulusin response to urgency of the notification information.

<10>

The information processing device according to any one of <1>to <8>,

in which the control unit outputs the tactile stimulus in a specificsection of the sound.

<11>

An information processing method including

performing, using a control unit that controls output of a tactilestimulus in a case where notification information is received duringoutput of content including sound, a process of controlling the tactilestimulus in response to the content or a process of controlling thecontent in response to the tactile stimulus.

<12>

A program that allows a computer to function as a control unit thatcontrols output of a tactile stimulus in a case where notificationinformation is received during output of content including sound,

in which the control unit performs a process of controlling the tactilestimulus in response to the content or a process of controlling thecontent in response to the tactile stimulus.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   11 Storage unit-   12 information receiving unit-   13 Control unit-   14 Audio output unit-   15 Vibration output unit-   21 Report control unit-   22 Audio control unit-   23 Vibration control unit-   31 Audio analysis unit-   41 External sound processing unit-   51 Information analysis unit-   901 Bus-   902 CPU-   903 ROM-   904 RAM-   905 Hard disk-   906 Output unit-   907 Input unit-   908 Communication unit-   909 Drive-   910 I/O interface-   911 Removable recording medium

1. An information processing device comprising a control unit thatcontrols output of a tactile stimulus in a case where notificationinformation is received during output of content including sound,wherein the control unit performs a process of controlling the tactilestimulus in response to the content or a process of controlling thecontent in response to the tactile stimulus.
 2. The informationprocessing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unitcontrols output of vibration as the tactile stimulus.
 3. The informationprocessing device according to claim 2, wherein the control unitcontrols a frequency spectrum of the vibration in response to the sound.4. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein thecontrol unit controls output timing the vibration in response to thesound.
 5. The information processing device according to claim 2,wherein the control unit controls intensity of the vibration in responseto volume of the sound.
 6. The information processing device accordingto claim 2, wherein the control unit controls a frequency spectrum ofthe sound in response to a frequency spectrum of the vibration.
 7. Theinformation processing device according to claim 2, wherein in a casewhere the sound and interlocking vibration interlocked with the soundare output, the control unit controls output of the interlockingvibration when the vibration is output.
 8. The information processingdevice according to claim 2, wherein in a case where an external soundcapture function that captures an ambient sound into the sound or anoise cancel function that cancels the ambient sound from the sound canbe turned on/off, the control unit controls on/off of the external soundcapture function or the noise cancel function when the vibration isoutput.
 9. The information processing device according to claim 1,wherein the control unit controls output timing the tactile stimulus inresponse to urgency of the notification information.
 10. The informationprocessing device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputsthe tactile stimulus in a specific section of the sound.
 11. Aninformation processing method comprising performing, using a controlunit that controls output of a tactile stimulus in a case wherenotification information is received during output of content includingsound, a process of controlling the tactile stimulus in response to thecontent or a process of controlling the content in response to thetactile stimulus.
 12. A program that allows a computer to function ascontrol unit that controls output of a tactile stimulus in a case wherenotification information is received during output of content includingsound, wherein the control unit performs a process of controlling thetactile stimulus in response to the content or a process of controllingthe content in response to the tactile stimulus.